In many situations where pipes are joined in a telescoping relationship, the cylindrical or spigot end of a first pipe is inserted into a flared or bell end of a second enclosing pipe to define a pipe joint. The flared end has an opening with a diameter large enough to receive the straight end of the first pipe. A gasket made from rubber or another elastomeric material is typically inserted into the flared end of the enclosing pipe and prevents leakage of fluids from the pipe joint by forming a seal between the two pipes.
In applications where fluid flowing within the pipes is under high pressure, various means may be employed to prevent the pipes from separating. For instance, the gasket may include toothed metal segments that are spaced around the inner perimeter of the gasket. The metal segments pivot about a bead formed on the inner surface of the second pipe to allow the straight end of the first pipe to be further inserted into the flared end of the second pipe. However, pulling the first pipe out of the flared end causes the toothed segments to engage the outer surface of the first pipe to prevent withdrawal of the first pipe.
Although the toothed metal segments are effective in preventing the pipes from separating under high pressure conditions, the joined pipes cannot be easily separated for maintenance, repair, etc. A common way to separate the pipes is to cut the pipes at the joint. However, this requires replacing a portion of the pipes or retrofitting the pipes with a new pipe joint assembly. Another method used to separate the pipes includes using a plurality of metal shims to separate the pipes. To separate the pipes, a shim must be slid between the two pipes at each toothed metal segment location to disengage the teeth from the outer surface of the first pipe. The pipes are thereafter pulled apart. This process is labor intensive because it requires locating each toothed metal segment and forcible inserting the shim between the two pipes.
Given these problems, it is desirous to have a tool for separating joined pipes in an easy, efficient manner, and that does not require cutting the pipes.